


Changing

by AsteroidMiyoko, InaliaFox



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Additional Tags to Be Added, Alternate Universe, Angst, Bonding, Falling In Love, Feels, Fluff, Love, M/M, Megatron and Rodimus, Sickfic, Smut, Sticky Sexual Interfacing, The Transformers: Lost Light, The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye (IDW), Valve Play (Transformers), interfacing, megarod
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-01-25 15:22:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21358414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsteroidMiyoko/pseuds/AsteroidMiyoko, https://archiveofourown.org/users/InaliaFox/pseuds/InaliaFox
Summary: Due to unknown reasons, Rodimus becomes very ill. Needing to rest and recuperate, the mech to take care of him ends up being Megatron of all people!The two of them end up spending a lot of time together, will it be good, or bad though? Will these two become closer, or will they drift further apart than ever?
Relationships: Megatron/Rodimus
Comments: 12
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as a role-play between myself and AsteroidMiyoko that just keeps going! <3
> 
> I'm still somewhat new to this fandom, and the aspect of RP-ing, so please bear with me as I also try to mesh this all into one bots perspective.~

Rodimus had been holed up in his hab for quite some time now. Ever since they stopped at that new world, something had seemed off. Not able to nail down what it was though, he just shook it off.

He had heard stomping through the halls. “Must be something wrong. The others can take care of it I’m sure.”

He fiddled around with the object in his servos. He had been working on it for solar cycles now, trying to make it perfect.

Rap rap rap He dropped the object he held onto the desk as he jumped, the knocking at his hab door startling him more than it should have.

“Are you in there?!”

He knew somebot would eventually come and track him down, but Megatron?...Okay actually, that was probably the more realistic result.

Cough cough 'That sounded pretty convincing!' Rodimus thought to himself. He was pretty good at faking things, though it was harder to get things past Megatron the more he did it.

“I-.. I’m not feeling the best! You had better come back later!” He wasn’t completely lying, he wasn’t feeling the best. His systems always felt tired, fatigued, though it wasn’t bad enough that he couldn’t complete normal activities.

“If you’re that poorly then you need to see a medic! Come on I’ll take you to Ratchet myself!”

His vocoder hitched slightly. Scrap From the sounds of it, he had him fooled, whatever he was angry at him for hopefully being forgotten.

“I-....”

Sure his comms weren’t working, and he was more tired than normal, but was that really anything to worry about like this?

After a moment of debating, Rodimus opened the hab door stepping out. Mixed expressions on his face, worry more evident than anything else.

“It’s really not that bad...” scratching his chin he looked to the floor.

“You don’t look ill.”

Rodimus continued avoiding the other mechs gaze, worried he would catch on if he did.

“Is everything alright? I thought you were looking forward to the away mission....”

It wasn't like Megatron to be so concerned with his health, it was odd, but something about it made his spark jump.

“I was.... I still am!”

He had been looking forward to it for quite some time, especially since he and Megatron would be working so closely together on it, something that rarely ever happened.

“It’s just..My comm isn’t working.” He put his servo to the back of his helm, a sheepish laugh following.

“Your- what?!”

He watched Megatron as the mech tensed.

“Is that a symptom of something else? Is your chronometer not working either?! We were supposed to meet almost a joor ago!”

Megatron seemed to be fighting with himself. By the looks of it, he was probably trying to not grab Rodimus and choke him due to the stupidity of this situation.

“Why didn’t you just tell someone so you could have it fixed? Or simply found a replacement for the mission?”

“I know! It’s stupid!” He yelled becoming slightly irritated. “Granted there has been something else going on. I’ve had minimal error messages show up as well, but I don’t know what they’re for. It’s not that bad so I don’t see the need for a checkup.”

His voice came out calmer this time, it almost sounded like he was really concerned? “Rodimus...what sort of error messages?”

He stopped thinking for a moment. Rodimus wasnt planning on telling him this much, but it looked like it was happening, so why not? What could it hurt?

“I don’t know....something about my spark not fully transmitting energy throughout my whole body or something?” He waved his servo in the air in a dismissing manner.

“It can’t be that bad though, I’m still functioning just fine.”

“Rodimus!”

He felt Megatrons servo take his arm as he was beginning to be lightly pulled towards the med bay.

“I am not a medical professional, but that doesn’t seem like something you should be ignoring!”

He was doing his best to shift his weight to the back, pulling against him, trying to stop Megatron from taking him to the med bay.

“Really....I’m fine...”

His words became labored between venting, his body almost deflating on the spot as he began to crumble towards the floor.

In one swift movement, Megatron managed to catch him before he hit the ground. It took everything he had though. All the racer could hear was a muffled “Damnit Rodimus,” as his system became filled with static.

'He must be taking me to the med bay...just great.' He thought, moving one of his servos and letting it rest on Megatrons arm as he squeezed it softly.

It was odd, or should he say different, having Megatron worry over him like this. He knew it had nothing more to do with the fact that he was the captain of the ship however, though something about that made him sad? Wait, why should he care what way it was meant? They were just co-captains, nothing more....

❧

He could hear Megatron yelling, the sound coming off fuzzy however. His audial receptors must be malfunctioning now too.

Rodimus laid his helm against Megatrons chest, too exhausted to hold it up himself, and then he closed his optics.

“Just..gonna rest a bit...” It was becoming hard for him to think, let alone talk. Rest would be good. Besides, he didn’t want to worry Megatron anymore than he already had.

“Rodimus! Do not fall asleep!”

He heard metal hitting the floor, then he was being moved, laid out on what must be the med berth. He felt something attach to him, but he wasn’t sure what.

“Rodimus...can you hear me? Can you describe your symptoms?”

That sounded like First Aid?

He managed to lazily open his optics. Megatrons words ringing in his processor over First Aids.

He’d had little boughs of exhaustion here and there, but nothing like this. He couldn’t have truly exerted that much energy trying to fight against Megatron, could he?

“Barely..Audial receptors are failing..Comms haven’t worked all cycle..Error messages.. About spark not transmitting energy right...just tired.” He muffled out. He was trying, but he was just so damn tired. He just wanted to rest for a few.

Rodimus looked from First Aid to Megatron, trying to give the larger mech a smile. In some way, hoping it would let him know that he was really okay.

His audial receptors started cutting out again. Everything was muffled, but he could tell the two were talking.

After a moment, he could tell someone was close, sitting next to the med berth.

“Rodimus. Look at me.”

He turned his helm slowly, trying to look at the other mech. Can’t believe hes staying. He grinned at Megatron lazily and let out a small laugh.

“That..Worried about me...that you can’t even leave huh?..”

To tell the truth, it was kind of nice having Megatron there with him. Very rarely did he get ill, but when he did, he was stubborn, hardheaded even, about it. He didn’t like going to others about it, much less the med bay.

This time though, he didn’t seem to have much of a choice. He was too tired, he didn’t even care that First Aid was running tests on him, or hooking him to all these machines. It wasnt like he could do much about it in this state anyways.

He heard Megatron huff. “You’re a member of my crew. It’s my job to worry about you. Plus,” he paused for a moment. “I have to make sure you actually listen to the good doctor here instead of running around making things worse.”

He could barely keep his optics open, how was he supposed to come close to making a break for it?

“If I leave you, you’ll be running down the halls disrupting everyone’s peaceful cycle.”

He smirked as his optics flickered slightly. “I’m the captain here...you’re part of my crew.” He was trying to act as normal as possible, but in all honesty, he was kind of scared.

He closed his optics for a moment, exventing before opening them again and looking straight at Megatron.

“Come on Megs..I’m not..that bad.”

He had been using too much energy. He seen Megatron get up and go to the side to talk to First Aid, but what they were talking about was unknown.

The way Megatron stood, he could tell something was wrong. He was more rigid than usual. Nothing really ever got to him, so if he was acting like this, something wasnt good.

Rodimus moved his servos and used what strength he had left to push himself up, trying to sit upright. He wobbled a bit as he did his best to stabilize himself, but he managed. Now he just had to stay like that.

“I’m really fine you two...see..” He exvented again, this one more strained than the last. He closed his optics again, doing everything he could to not fall over. Why is sitting up so fragging hard?!

As he started to lean towards the side, he felt a large servo rest on his shoulder, steadying him.

“Rodimus, please stay still. First Aid is going to get the necessary supplies and then start your treatment.”

He felt himself being guided back down towards the berth. When he laid flush against it, he felt Megatron squeeze his shoulder. It was comforting.

Looking over, he seen First Aid roll out some huge, and quite frankly, weird looking machine. He could barely see it with how his optics were, but the damn thing seemed pretty intimidating.

“W-what in...Primus’ name is that?! You can’t...seriously think I need something this serious..Do you?” His energy becoming less and less each klick that went by. He looked to Megatron, worry shooting through his field.

Before he knew it, his systems offlined, trying to conserve what little energy he had left. Maybe it really was a good thing Megatron brought him here.


	2. Chapter 2

He was groggy as his optics on-lined, he had no idea how much time had passed.

Trying to sit up he noticed a bunch of cables connected to his frame in multiple areas. He looked around, blinking his optics a few times, trying to get them to focus.

After a moment, his optics rested on Megatron. He was laying on the berth next to him. His optics traveled a bit more as he noticed a cable attached to the other mechs wrist, he followed it.

When his optics finally stopped, he realized where the cable was going. It was attached to him! Why was there a cable connecting the two of them?!

“What the frag is going on?!” He yelled. He was freaking out. He still felt a bit drained, but overall he was feeling better. He could hear, talk and see so that was something. Things were a tad fuzzy still, but it wasn’t anything like it was before.

“Rodimus...Rodimus calm down.”

He looked over, watching as Megatron sat up, detaching the cable from his own wrist.

“Do you remember what happened? How do you feel?”

“What do you mean what do I remember?! You dragged me here because of some stupid error messages! We talked a bit... I think?”

He blinked his optics a few times, looking around the room again. He settled on the machine that had the cables running to it that were attached to him before his gaze went back to Megatron.

“Why in Primus’ name was there a cable attached to both of us?!”

He was getting to worked up over all of this, but seeing all those cables attached to himself upon on-lining, who wouldn’t that freak out?

He watched as Megatron stood up slowly, putting his hands up in what he assumed was Megatron way to seem less threatening. He stopped by the berth, putting a servo on Rodimus’ shoulder as he helped him sit up.

“You are affected by something called Zero Point, a weakness in the energy flow from the spark. It was rapidly shutting your systems down.”

There was a brief pause before he continued.

“Part of the treatment is a steady energon transfusion, as I am a large mech, easily able to supply it, so I volunteered.”

Rodimus looked at him with a blank expression, trying to process what he had just been told. His faceplates slowly building a light flush of color to them.

“Y-you mean...that’s why there was that cable?”

Why would Megatron do something like that for him? Sure he was larger than most, but there were plenty of others, so why did he do it? Rodimus would have expected Megatron to leave him here and find someone else to tend to him.

“I only needed the one transfusion.... r-right? Everything’s fine now?” He was stuttering, his vocoder hitching as he spoke. Why was he so worked up over this?

“Probably? There may be additional treatment needed...But if you’d prefer I not be involved, I’m sure there are others who would be willing. If...If you’re worried I’ll consider this a debt, please do not.”

He rubbed his forehelm, still trying to process everything Megatron had told him.

‘So it really was something bad then..’ He sighed inwardly.

Looking up as Megatron spoke, his optics somewhat wide. A slight pain hit his spark as he hear the tone of Megatrons voice. Was he upset?

“A debt? No that’s not what I’m worried about. I just wasnt expecting you to be so okay with doing this.” He exvented a small sigh.

“Honestly I thought you’d just leave me where I was and say it was my own fault I’m going through this. I never expected you to do all of this..Let alone to offer to continue helping me if it was needed.”

He continued to look at Megatron as he spoke, his optics never leaving him.

“I’m sure there are other mechs who would be more than willing too, but you’re the one that cared enough to drag my sorry aft here and continues to look after me. I-I’d rather it be you...if that’s okay with you.”

His vocoder became quieter as each word came out. It wasn’t malfunctioning already was it? He felt awkward, but he wasnt sure why. He was happy that Megatron seemed so concerned about his health though.

“Did you know I once wanted to go into the medical field?” Megatron said as he sat back down on the other berth. “I wasn’t allowed, of course, but the desire pops up now and again. I enjoy being able to heal instead of..well anyway. Drift and Magnus are more than capable of handling the ship for a while.” He grinned as he leaned back on the berth, arms behind his helm.

He was surprised, hearing about Megatrons want to be in the medical field. “You really wanted to be medic?” He looked at him, then burst out laughing. “That doesn’t fit you at all!”

“Doesn’t fit- well thank you very much for that.” Megatron grumbled.

Putting his servo behind his helm, Rodimus closed his optics. “You’re right about drift and Magnus, though they’re going to reprimand me for sure...Thank you for helping me though, I’ll be sure to do my best.”

“You needn’t have gone through such measures just to indulge me! Please take care of yourself, captain.”

“Still though, he went out of his way to help me.” It was a nice gesture, and one the other mech really hadn’t needed to do.

After a moment, he began tapping his servo on the berth, becoming somewhat irritated. ‘I know First Aid needs to recharge, but I want to know what’s going on so I can leave!’

“Rodimus....Please cease or tell me what you need.”

“Oh what, does it bother you?” He smirked as he continued to tap. Now he was doing it just to get on Megatrons nerves.

“I’m just ready to get out of here! We’ve been in here too long...I’m sure I’m not allowed to leave until First Aid comes back.” He grumbled. He hated being stuck in one spot for too long like this.

After a moment he felt a servo on his own, stilling it.

“You’re not allowed to leave until you’re better, which will be several joors, if not another cycle! So please, let us find some way of passing the time that won’t give me a processor ache.”

He watched as Megatron used his other servo to shuffle around in his subspace, pulling out a couple of pads and offering one to him.

“Here. Read something, or play a game or whatever and just be grateful to have some time off.”

“Fine.” The racer grumbled as he snatched the pad from Megatron. ‘It would be nice to have some off time. It’d be better if I wasnt stuck here for it though.’

He flicked through his options on the pad, not really sure what he wanted to do. His optics stayed locked on the pad as he spoke.

“You sure you’re okay staying in here with me?”

“I am.” Megatron replied scrolling on his own pad. He was probably reading a current events feed or some scrud. “But are you?”

“I completely understand if you’d rather I leave. I know we are not..close, so I can fetch someone else for you.”

Rodimus had settled on a space shooter game, ironic as it was, and no matter how hard he tried, he kept losing. Frustrated he set the pad down, giving himself a break.

“What is it with you and wanting to leave?” He exvented a sigh. “We may not be...close as you said, but still. This does give us some time to get to know each other, unless I manage to annoy the living hell out of you before too long.” He smirked, he could be quite annoying at times.

He hadn’t been online long since recovering from being unconscious, however he could already start to feel the weight of his own body growing heavier. His energy slowly ebbing away again.

He looked at Megatron, the smirk on his face growing more by the minute. “You must like me more then you let on if you’re willing to continue to put up with me like this.”

“I imagine I like most mechs more than I let on. I’m told that I don’t have a very....welcoming expression. But you’re not wrong.”

Rodimus laughed. “True, you are intimidating to most.”

A few moments passed in silence before the other mech spoke up again.

“What are your plans after the mission?”

He had to think for a moment. There were so many options!

“I haven’t been meteor surfing for a while, so that’s definitely on the list..” He paused trying to think of something else, anything else, but nothing came to mind besides causing mischief for the others on board. “Honestly, I’m not really sure...what about you?”

“There’s a novel out by an author I admire, I’d like nothing more than to take several joors just to sit down with some warmed mid-grade and enjoy it...Do you enjoy anything similar?”

There’s something he hadn’t done for a while, a drink actually sounded nice. He was usually either doing something insanely stupid and reckless, or just being a complete nuisance to his crew and causing mischief to entertain himself.

“Honestly, sitting down to have a drink and just relax sounds amazing. I haven’t done something like that in what feels like eons. I’m too bust being..well me!”

His vocoder hitched towards the end, a slight fuzz coming off of it, causing him to try to reset it. He let out a small laugh, trying to see if it worked, but it only seemed to get worse.

“Rodimus, you are on the mend, please be careful as to not strain any of your systems.”

“It’s not like I’m trying to!” Hu grumbled, crossing his arms. His optics followed Megatron as he checked the racers vitals on the screen.

“But yes, I find the benefits of a relaxing day to be numerous. There...wasn’t much time for it during the war.”

Rodimus caught a shift in Megatrons stature, no matter how small of a change it was.

“At least now though, we have pretty much all the time we want to relax and have a good time. To actually make a life for ourselves.” He was, in his own way, trying to make Megatron feel better. However it probably came off the wrong way to the other mech.

“Yes, I suppose we do.” He spoke, a small smile slowly growing on his face.

A beep sounded from one of the machines as Rodimus watched Megatron unspool the transfusion cable.

‘Holy crap..did he just smile?’ He thought to himself, surprised as one formed on his own face as well.

The beep had someone startled him. He was so caught in their conversation that he wasnt quite expecting it.

“It’s time for the next one. May I?” A servo outstretched towards him, waiting for a reply.

He nodded, offering his servo to Megatron. “Uh yeah.. go ahead.”

As Megatron took Rodimus’ servo in his own, the racer allowed the hatch on his inner wrist to open. With a click, the mechanism folded back.

Megatron held his servo still as he connected the cable with ease. Rodimus almost hadn’t noticed, but the other mech had brushed the side of the port with his thumb, before releasing his servo back to the racers side. He then went back to sitting against his own berth.

“You were in stasis before, but please don’t move too much during the transfusion. It will only take a little while.”

Being conscious this time, he could feel the flow of energon entering his systems. It was strange, but it felt nice oddly nice?

“That’s not asking a lot is it? You do know who you’re talking to right?” He smirked again, he hardly ever stayed still, whether it was on purpose or not. “Since you asked so nicely though, I’ll do my best.”

“Much obliged.” It was a dry reply, but one nonetheless. “Thank you for trusting me.”

The racers optics flickered from the cable transmitting the energon, to Megatron and then quickly back.

“I-... uh yeah you’re welcome.” He quickly blurted out, trying to not make contact with Megatrons optics. He didn’t want to make the other mech feel weird in anyway. The situation, with them connected like this, was probably awkward enough.

They continued to sit there like that for what seemed like joors. The only sound being that which came from the machines.


	3. Chapter 3

Rodimus was discharged only a couple of days, the worst of the illness having passed. Thank the Primes! He couldn’t stand being stuck in the medbay any longer.

He was still going crazy though. He was still supposed to take it easy which meant berthrest for a few cycles. He wasn't supposed to leave his hab unless it was to go to the medbay.

It was nice, just relaxing, but he felt like something was missing?

He exvented a sigh as he heard a beeping noise, only to find a message from Megatron. 

[Any lingering symptoms?]

He blinked his optics, thinking it was a bit odd he was messaging, but he messaged him back anyways.

[Honestly I feel better than I have in awhile! Thanks to you anyways..]

[I'm glad to hear it. The bridge is quiet without you.]

He had figured Megatron would enjoy the quiet. He was hard for others to handle, but thats just how he was.

[I’m sure you're enjoying it though, especially after being cooped up with me for so many cycles.]

He didn't want to overstep with Megatron more than he already had however. That’s why since being discharged, he tried to keep some distance between them.

[For the first few joors, perhaps. Then I realized I wanted to run something by you and forgot that you weren't in your normal place. I'm sure Magnus was very concerned as to why I appeared to be spinning in a very slow circle.]

Rodimus laughed a bit at that image.

[I’m surprised he didn’t say anything...Would have figured he’d say that was against a rule or something...If you’d like, I can come by so you can run whatever it is by me? Primus knows I’m bored anyways.]

He was being honest, he was pretty bored. Doing something would be good for him. Plus it would give him the chance to pester a few bots on the way.

[If you think you can sneak here without being seen, I’d welcome the company.]

Rodimus hadn’t noticed, but a slight smile had crept up on his face.

[Give me just a minute to get there.]

He replied before making his way towards the bridge from his hab. Not too far however, he almost ran into First Aid. Ducking behind the corner he barely managed to miss his optics. Luckily, that was the only misstep on his way there.

Finally reaching the bridge, Rodimus walked over to his spot stopping as he looked at Megatron.

“Made it, First Aid almost caught me though.”

Megatron nodded towards him and then he felt the other mechs field, it was nice, filled with a welcoming. He responded with his own, a warm feeling of thanks.

“So then, what was it you wanted to run by me exactly Megs?”

He found himself a bit eager to hear what Megatron had to say, but he wasn’t sure why. He didn't even care if it was about reports! Rodimus was just happy to be out and about, and something about him being here right now made him feel...good?

“Well,” tapping on the pad in his servos causing a diagram to pop up on the overhead display. “We’ve got two choices. We can go through this area of space to get to planet 573, uneventful but safe. Or we can take this route, potentially dangerous but lots of opportunity for exploration.”

Rodimus watched the diagram, it changed here and there to reflect the course of action Megatron was explaining at the time.

They then exchanged looks as the other mech pointed behind himself.

“Our resident mad Scientists have already put in their five shanix.”

Rodimus sighed, “of course they have.”

It would be better if they took the safer route. Plus he was still healing so he had to be careful. He was so bored though! He wanted the danger, the thrill and excitement!

“What route were you leaning towards before?” He watched Megatron as he waited for an answer, though he probably already knew what it was.

“Somewhat against my better nature...I was thinking some adventure might be in order, but- “

He shook his helm, seeming dismissing the thought.

“Nevermind, that’s selfish of me.”

Rodimus almost couldn’t believe what he’d heard, letting out a small laugh before he could stop himself.

“Well, at least I’m not the only one that wants to go that way!”

Without really thinking, he laid his servo on Megatrons arm.

“We’re all allowed to be selfish sometimes. Besides, if you’re worried about the crew, they’ve more than shown they’re capable of handling themselves. Hell, they did have me for a captain for how long before you showed up?”

The racer smirked, he was happy Megatron wanted to take the same route instead of criticizing him for his decision.

Megatron leaned in, close to his audial receptors, sending a shiver through his systems.

“We’re both lucky that we have such a good crew... Well then, we’re in agreement.” He motioned his servo to the helmsman. “Onwards and forward.”

“That we are.” He watched as space warped around them, the starlight rolling over them as it passed. Rodimus barely caught it, almost thinking his processor was playing tricks on him. There, from the corner of his optic, Megatron was glancing at him softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter, however the next one will be much longer so be ready!


	4. Chapter 4

Rodimus raised a brow, turning his attention to Megatron. He was starting to feel better, and with it came the cocky attitude he usually had.

“See anything you like?”

Megatrons gaze wandered for a moment before he shrugged. “Maybe I do.”

He blinked his optics in surprise. He had fully expected Megatron to dismiss the matter completely. ‘He’s got to be messing with me.’ He thought to himself, and yet his systems started to heat.

“Well, what isn’t there to like about me? I am a pretty awesome captain!” Putting a servo to his chest he puffed it out slightly, the smirk on his face growing.

“I’m assuming that’s rhetorical, or would you really like me to list the things I don’t like about you?” He kept his voice somewhat quiet as he sat back in the command chair and began looking through the pile of reports.

Rodimus knew he was joking around, that he was clearly picking on him, but a part of him really did wonder what Megatron didn’t like about him. Before he could stop himself, he pushed the data pad in Megatrons servo down, making it so the other mech would have to pay attention to him.

“Wait.. what exactly don’t you like about me?” His spoilers twitched ever so slightly as he waited for an answer. Should he have really asked that? Did he really want to know?

Megatron stared at him for a few. Each click that went by made him worry more, made him realize just how much Megatron might not like him.

“You interrupting my work, for one thing.” He moved the datapad out of the way, as best as he could from Rodimus’ grasp. “Your turn, what don’t you like about me?”

Rodimus smirked. He had a feeling Megatron wouldn’t go for this, but he was going to try!

“Well for one...” He started off as he moved quickly, snatching the datapad from Megatrons grasp with haste and moving as far away from him as possible.

“Hey!” Megatron had tried his hardest to snatch the pad before the racer moved away with it, but he failed miserably.

Rodimus then began to wave it in the air, teasing the other mech. “You’re no fun. It’s always work with you!”

Megatron scowled as he crossed his arms. Rodimus could tell he was irritating him slightly, but Megatron needed to learn to relax and let loose once in a while.

“And it’s never work with you! When’s the last time you took something seriously?”

“Honestly?...I don’t remember.” He laughed. “Things are way more interesting this way.”

He then looked to the pad in his servo, and back to Megatron. His engine revving slightly. “Don’t you want this back?”

The larger mech narrowed his optics at Rodimus, glaring at him with an almost passion. He seemed to be fighting with himself internally. This wasn’t something Megatron would ever do, but Rodimus would be damned if he didn’t at least try to get the other mech to play along!

Out of nowhere, Rodimus seen Megatron lunge out of the chair towards him, making a grab for the pad. Megatron may be large and strong, but Rodimus was much quicker. Taking his free servo, he grabbed Megatrons outstretched arm. Using the momentum of the other mechs movements, the racer stepped to the side to dodge Megatrons attempt, holding the datapad as far from him as possible.

“Wow, didn’t think you had it in you to do that Megs! Still too slow though!” He was teasing him, taunting him even, but it was actually fun interacting with the other mech like this.

Megatron, quicker than Rodimus thought possible, grasped the servo that Rodimus used to grab him, quickly pulling the racer into him and using the height difference, snatched the pad from his grasp.

“Ah ha! What do you say to that?”

Rodimus had froze, barely processing what Megatron had said to him. He hadn’t expected Megatron to grab him, let alone pull him towards him. Now their frames were nearly flush against each other. Rodimus’ frame heated slightly as a light blue traced his faceplates.

“Uhhh...g-good job getting the pad back?” He stuttered. He was still trying to process what had just happened. Megatron hadn’t yelled at him, he didn’t reprimand him for continuing to act like a bitlet...He had actually played along and now they were-

Rodimus felt Megatron release him, stepping back as quickly as possible, his servos raised.

“I apologize, I-...I got carried away. You’re still healing. I shouldn’t have-“

Rodimus stood there for a moment, his spoilers drooping just a bit due to the change in attitude.

“I’m fine! Besides, I’m the one that provoked you..”

“Still, I should have more restraint, especially on the bridge.”

‘On the bridge?..’ That’s right, there were on the bridge still, weren’t they? Rodimus had somewhat forgotten that part, he was so caught up in then moment, actually having fun. He felt a little awkward, mostly because he provoked Megatron to act out of his normal boundaries in front of others. However, there was a part of him that had really enjoyed this little encounter. He loved getting on others nerves, but something about this....felt different?

He looked at Megatron, then towards the exit, his optics flickering just slightly. He felt strange...but wasn’t sure why? “You know what, I should probably just let you get back to work..Ill just go back to my hab so I don’t bother you anymore. Just let me know when we make it to planet 573..”

He had turned to leave before stopping in his tracks by a loud shout from Megatron.

“No!!”

The volume of Megatrons reply caught him completely off guard. He really wanted him to stay? After causing Megatron to go out of his way like that, just so he could have a bit of fun?

“I mean no, please stay. I could use the help with some reports.”

Helping him with reports was the least the racer could do to help make up for the way he acted, even though he truly hated doing reports.

He watched as Megatron gestured towards the captain’s chair, taking his own position against one of the control panels, leaning on it ever so slightly.

He walked towards the chair and sat down in it, his body started feeling slightly strained due to their actions just moments ago. Hopefully with him sitting and relaxing a bit, it wouldn’t get worse.

“Alright, which one are we knocking out first?”

Megatron handed over one of the pads to him, “That’s a supply request from the mechs in engineering, there’s also a report of an altercation that took place last night. Probably just a scuffle, but we might want to have a word with-”

The ship suddenly lurched out of warp, causing a shudder through the Lost Lights frame. Rodimus was lucky he was sitting in the chair, but still grabbed it to steady himself.

“Good thing this chair doesn’t have wheels.. you good?”

Megatron had to brace himself against the console so that he didn’t lose his footing and fall.

“I’d be better if this was our designated stop. Something has forced us out of warp...Report!”

Within moments a voice piped up from the ship’s comms. “We’re not sure exactly what happened captain, we were puttering along and then it’s like something snatched us out of the bubble.”

Rodimus used a servo to rub his face in annoyance.

“Well, figure it out so we can get back on course!”

He sighed, hoping that whatever it was, he could handle it where he was still recuperating. He glanced at the screen, then to Megatron. He was trying not to show the worry in his expression, but it was hard.

After what seemed like too long, someone from engineering came back on over the comms. “Okay, we’ve checked everything over and should be good to warp!”

With a nod, Megatron motioned the helmsman to continue.

Nothing happened.

Rodimus and Megatron exchanged looks, both with a perplexed expression.

“Why aren’t we at warp?” Megatron asked as you could hear the tinge of irritation in his voice.

“We are sirs, or at least, we’re trying to be. We’re just...not moving.” The helmsman explained.

“Then why are we not moving?”

Rodimus stood up from the chair, looking at the view screen. Trying to find something, anything that might give them a clue.

“There’s got to be some kind of explanation.” He squinted his optics. “Somethings not holding us in place...is it?”

The bridge then immediately filled with the sounds of the crew running sensors and analyzing the result data. After a few tense klicks, someone piped up. “Nothing’s holding us, nothing...”

“Then...” you could hear Megatron trying jot to get impatient. They both wanted an explanation that no one seemed to be able to give them.

“No sir, I mean, there’s nothing at all around us.”

“Nonsense.” Megatron turned back to the screen as Rodimus continued to look. “There’s-”

Rodimus and Megatron exchanged looks of worry. There was truly nothing. No stars, no nebula, no rocks...nothing...

“A whole galaxy doesn’t just disappear!”

Rodimus was beyond perplexed. How was this possible? This wasn’t something he wanted to deal with, he’d even settle for reports over this!

Megatron shook his helm before looking to Rodimus. “Well, I suppose we’ve got the adventure we wanted. Let’s let everyone know there’s something strange going on, then we’ll try to figure out how to get out of here.”

“Adventure is one way to put it.” Nodding his helm to Megatron, Rodimus walked over to the control panel, activating the ships intercom system.

“Attention to all those on the Lost Light. During our warp to planet 573, it seems as though we’ve encountered a slight problem. We’re not entirely sure what it is, though it doesn’t seem as though we’re in any immediate danger. Once we have more information, myself or Megatron will follow up with another announcement. Until then, stay calm and go about your day as normal as possible.”

Finishing the announcement, Rodimus turned to Megatron. “So, what exactly are we going to do? If we can’t move, we can’t really look around, so that’s going to make this somewhat difficult.”

Megatron sent out a comms beacon at this, “Status grey,” everyone was to report in once an hour and be ready to defend the ship if necessary.

“Let’s make the rounds, get Magnus to assign some teams, and we’ll see if anything looks out of place on the ship. Meanwhile, get the mechs in the lab to run some tests, send out probes, etc.. sound good?”

Rodimus thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. That was their best option at the moment, if not their only one.

“Sounds good.” It only took him a moment to relay the plan to Magnus.

“Let’s get moving then!” He was a little more than excited. With this going on, there’s no way First Aid could force him to go back to his hab, so he’d finally be able to get out and stretch a bit!

Whatever their current predicament was though, Rodimus hoped it would be an easy fix. Rodimus and Megatron set out not long after, hoping they could find the answer to their predicament and fix it without anything else going wrong.


	5. Chapter 5

It seemed like Megatron had a decent plan ready to go, leaving Drift in charge of the bridge while they were investigating.

Rodimus was beaming as they left. He was so happy that not only did he get out of his hab, but not he didn’t have to keep to just the bridge either. Though...being on the same team as Megatron was a bit odd. He wasn’t going to complain though!

“Are you okay to do this? Should I walk you back to your hab?”

“No!” He shouted. “I’m fine...honestly..if it’s too much I’ll let you know, but I’m not going back unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

Besides not wanting to be stuck in his hab, he was enjoying the company. Looking at Megatron he smirked, causing a bit of mischief wouldn’t hurt, would it? 

“Why so worried Megs?”

“I’m not wo-” He suddenly had very serious look on his face. “Don’t you know *captain*, I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.”

A slight pause left Rodimus a bit concerned.

“It’s a large ship, and Magnus would kill me if I let you get lost somewhere.”

“Is that sarcasm? I didn’t think you were capable of such a thing!” He walked waiving his servo in the air. “ I know this ship better than the back of my servo. Besides, what are you two? My caretakers?”

“Sometimes it feels like it.” Megatron muttered. Rodimus was barely able to hear it, but he did!

“You know, you two wouldn’t know what to do without me.” Though he was sure they would welcome a break from him at any time.

He vented a sigh. So far, they hadn’t found anything alarming, but nothing that would help the situation either.

He looked to Megatron who seemed to be deep in thought at the moment. * ‘He must be worried about the situation we’re in too.’ * Who wouldn’t be though? This being stuck in *nothing* was unsettling enough as it was.

“You alright Megs?”

“Yes I-.... No, not really. In the mines, the conditions were...it was very much like being stuck, unable to move, just like this.”

He smiled crookedly at Rodimus. 

“Don’t mind my weakness. Let’s keep looking.”

He wasn’t really expecting Megatron to mention his past, but at times he was glad he did. He enjoyed learning about the other mech.

“You’re weakness? You’re the only one who’s really experienced anything similar to this, that could be helpful.”

He wasn’t sure what to say really. He didn’t want to bring up any painful memories for Megatron, but anything, even if it was small, could help right now.

Rodimus smirked, trying his best not to let on. The day was starting to catch up with him. Though he was being cheerful, he could feel the exhaustion setting in. ‘I can’t stop now. We’ve got to figure out what’s going on and get the crew out of this mess first, whatever it is.’

“I appreciate that, but-”

A strange creaking noise reverberated through the ship, catching the attention of both mechs. It sounded like something from an earth movie, like a ship that traveled on water, creaking and groaning as it bobbed up and down on the waves.

“What is that...” Megatron asked aloud. “It seems like it’s coming from a few decks down.”

“Well, we better go check it out then!” Rodimus raised his voice slightly. *Finally! * They were getting somewhere! 

“Don’t get left behind.” He smirked to the other mech as he walked away excitedly.

Three decks down they came to one of the storage bays, the door sliding open when they approached it. By now, the noise had stopped, but what greeted them...

It was a large black orb, no, that wasn’t the right way to describe it. It wasn't black like ink or even mourning paint...

Rodimus had gotten closer than he thought, trying to figure out what it was, he was only meters away.

“What the hell is this?” Rodimus went to get closer to inspect it, but suddenly he felt a servo on his arm, pulling him back and tucking him close behind the larger mech.

“Okay, this has got to be why the Lost Lights movement is suspended, but what in Primus’ name is it doing here? There were no warnings about anything like this from the sensors.”

After a moment, he let his frame relax behind Megatron. His touch becoming more of a comfort than anything else at the moment.

Megatron reached into his subspace for a random bolt, throwing it towards the odd orb. 

“You just carry random bolts in your subspace huh?” He laughed, trying to be a smartass. His balance was a bit off, so it was good Megatron had a hold of him.

It disappeared into the darkness without disturbing the orb at all. 

“We need to cordon off this area. No one touches it.”

“Well need to let Drift and Magnus know as soon as possible. Seeing as this is more than likely the cause of our predicament, we should probably tell the others so they can cease their search as well unless anything else serious comes up.”

No sooner had Rodimus finished, Magnus’ voice came over the comms.

[Sirs, a strange orb has appeared in Swerve’s bar and another in Skids hab. Requesting permission to quarantine.]

Megatron gave Rodimus a concerned look before replying.

[Of course, take all necessary precautions. We’ve encountered one in the storage bays as well.]

“Rodimus, are you alright?” Megatron had turned his attention to the racer, who had his servo over his face, his exvents becoming uneven.

He had been doing okay, at least until they reached this orb, this..black hole?

“Honestly?.... I don’t know. Either way, we need to get back to the bridge and figure out what’s going on. We need to make sure the crew is safe first..”

Megatrons optics narrowed at him as he tried to make him believe he was okay. Or was he just trying to convince himself?

“Well, you’re right about that. Let’s regroup and see what the scientists can figure out.”

As they left the storage bay, Megatron placed a top level quarantine on the door. A few steps down the hall, Megatron placed his servo on Rodimus shoulder. “Please do tell me if you start to feel poorly.”

The racer closed his optics for a moment, exventing again. “Honestly.. I haven’t felt the best since we left the bridge, and from what I can tell, being near..well whatever that was. Mi not positive, but I think it made things worse?”

It wasn’t so much of a statement as it was a question. Megatron seemed genuinely worried, which was odd, but somewhat comforting. He didn’t want to upset the mech by overdoing it...or lying.

He gave Megatron the best smile he could. “Ill be sure to let you know, but right now, I’m more worried about the crew and their safety than my own.”

~~~~

It hadn’t taken them long to reach the bridge once again. Once there, Rodimus looked around, seeing who all was present.

“Alright, status report. Any other anomalies present that have been found besides those already stated?”

Drift shook his helm, handing Rodimus a pad with all the date they’d collected thus far.

“None yet, but the one at swerves bar has gotten a little bigger.” Drifts voice became quieter in the hopes that the rest of the crew didn’t hear. “I don’t like it Roddy, I can’t get a read on it at all, neither the orbs nor the expanse.”

Megatron had been mumbling something to a mech over the comms from what Rodimus could tell, before then turning his attention to the helmsman. “Any update on the engines?”

“None sir, engineering is still working on it.”

None of this was making any sense to him. There was hardly any data, no reason that this should even be happening, and yet it was! 

“For now, we need to keep things quarantined off, if any changes occur, they are to be reported immediately.”

He had almost lost himself for a moment, his balance becoming worse. He shook his helm a bit before walking over to the captain’s chair and sitting down, continuing to look over the datapad. He didn’t think he was missing anything, but he didn’t want to chance it.

Not long after, Megatron was by his side. His fields range was short, but it was enough to reach Rodimus, radiating with concern. “Would you mind if I take a look, once you’re done Captain?” He murmured. “Until our scientists figure out what this phenomenon is, we can at least keep the crew as safe as possible.”

He offered the pad to the Megatron with a sigh. “Here and thank you.” He didn’t say what for, but he was aware of why the mech came over. It made him feel slightly better, knowing someone was keeping an optic out for him. If not, who would really?

“I’ve looked it over a few times. There’s not a whole lot to go off of besides what we already know. The one in Swerves...it worries me that its gotten bigger in size though.”

Before Megatron had a chance to respond, Perceptors voice came over the general comms.

[Sirs, this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense but...] he continued prevaricating for several klicks. Rodimus had lost interest, zoning out after a few.

Megatron vented impatiently next to him. “Damnit, get to the point already!”

[You were right about those orbs being like black holes.]

The worry was clearly evident on Megatrons face as he looked to Rodimus. “Then, why aren’t they functioning as black holes?”

[They are.] Perceptor continued. [That is to say, they are trying, but they’re being stopped by an outside force. To put it plainly, the expanse were in is pulling the ship outward as the black holes are pulling it inwards.]

Rodimus rubbed his fore helm. Perceptors rambling just confused him more, and truthfully the end result hadn’t really cleared much up for him either.

“So, you’re saying something is making it work against itself? Is there any way to cancel it out? Or find out WHY this is happening?”

[Were working on that now. We’re sending probes into the orbs, and sending those into the expanse.]

“How precise is the balance?” Megatron asked.

It was quiet for far too long before an answer was given. 

[If the orbs get too big, they’ll win against the expanse. But as of now, were not sure if or when that will happen.]

“What are you thinking Megatron?” Usually, Rodimus would run full force into the problem, but he didn’t know what to do this time and he hated it.

The larger mech crouched down next to Rodimus, whispering into his audials. “Honestly, I’m not sure. This is nowhere near my area of expertise. No enemies to fight, no politicians to threaten....I defer to your judgment captain.” 

This had to be the first time he heard Megatron say he didn’t have a plan. He always had a plan! He could tell something was bothering the mech, and he didn’t really like it. 

He let his field radiate with a warm comforting feeling, just far enough out the other mech could feel it.

Rodimus had to think. There wasn’t much to go off of and he himself couldn’t go anywhere near those things again.

He rubbed his helm in frustration again, closing his optics for a brief moment.

“We need to see what information, if anything, the probes yield. Then we can go from there. Deciding anything before that could cause more of a problem.”

Megatron nodded in agreement. “Your right, of course. Rushing into something won’t help.”

It had been several cycles already, the gamma shift crew already filling in to replace their coworkers.

“You should go get some rest Rodimus. I’ll grab us some fuel. Any preferences?”

Rest sounded like a good idea, and definitely something he could use right now. 

“Surprise me.” With a smirk in Megatrons direction, he began to walk towards the door to leave until there was news to be shared.


End file.
